Fountain-pen.



P. E. WIRT.

FOUNTAIN PEN. APPLIdATIon FILED oo'r. a1, 190e.

Patented Dec. 13, 1916 j INVENTOR FHUL E'. M/IRT UNTTED sTAT'Es PATENT oEEIoE.

'rAUL E. wlmi, or BLooMsnUnG, PENNSYLVANIA.

'FOUNTAIN-BEN.

To all whom/it may concern.' j Be it known that. I, PAUL E. Wm'r, a citizen of the United States, residing'at Bloomslburg, in l the county of Columbla and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and; useful .Improvements in Fountain-Pens,

Case A,) of which the following is a specication.

l .This `invention relates tol the subject of .fountaingpens, ,particularly of the type 1n which the is held in thereservoir by atmospheric pressure and fed to the en .point principally by capillary attraction, ut more specifically the invention relates to that kind of fountaln pens embodying what is known as the lsafety cap coperating with the ink feeding means to lnsure a positive sealing .or cuttlng off of the flow oflnk when the OVGI. f. i i

It i's therefore 'the purpose and object of the present invention to provide certain novel and .practical improvements in the ink feedin 'means ofa safety cap yfountain pen, -w ereby a' reliabilitandcertainty of action may be n laintaine inthe feeding or Y' flow .of theinkto-.the nibs'- of the pen point vat 'all times whilethe ,penis in operation, whilea'tthe sametinecoperating with the pen cap in such a manner,.th at when the ca is secured over .the .pen the' sameI will e fectually cutoff thegdirect,f1ow ofnink to the pen point andthereby perfectlyseal the ink within the reservoinso that the pen can ,be carried in any position without leakage.`

-Withf ,-these; and manyother objects in view, which will.- morereadily appear to i t. th'osef familiarwith theart. as lthe;nature of lthe inventionisgbetter understood, the same vconsists 1n 'theynovel construction, lcomblna- -/tion, andfarrangement of parts .hereinafter more fully, descrlbeiillustratedand j claimed.

' -The essential :feature/s ofthe invention, involved in the` specifioimprovelnents lprofoperating'ielements .o said iink feeding y, means' ,and fthe.l safety cap, may be, embodie ain.- .lnodied {s .tlllctures withont departing .-.from the' scopei of .the invention, but a. pre-V ferred'embodiment of the 'latter is shown in of. a. fountain :pen constructed in. accordance penis not in use and the cap is placed therey Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 13, 1910. Appilcation nleao'atber s1, 190e. serial No. 460,393.

the flow of ink and sealing the latter in the reservolr. Fig. 2 isa similar view of one end portion of the fountain. pen structure,

illustrating the en cap removed and the p arts of the ink eeding device in open position for `flowing ink to the pen point. Fig.

3 is a cross sectional view on the line 3--3.

inner end portion of the plunger feeding stem. Fig. 8 is a detail in perspective of the wedge shaped supplemental regulating feed bar.

Like references designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

The present invention embodies in itsl general organization the usual reservoir holder 1, the 'interlor chamber of which constitutes thc usual ink reservoir 2, and one end of the said holder is designed to have suitably fitted thereto the pen bearing section ornozzle 3. The pen bearing section 3 has the usual passageway or bore 4 therethrough, and according to the present invention, it is designed to accommodate therein various parts of the ink feeding device,

` including the' meansfor holding or fastening the pen point in position. In this `'connection, itfwill .begobserved that the passageway 4 through the pen bearing section .iscounterbored or enlarged, as at 5, producing an. interior `abutment shoulderl '6 against whichzbears the inner end of the holding plug 7..v Thisholding lug 7 is of la vtubular form: to provide a ongitudinal cironlating..o ening4 StherethroUgh, and `,is snugly iittedin Athe counterbored or enlarged portion 550i. thepen bearingsection 3 to `provide for. accommodatin l yand supporting certain partsof the ink eeding device, as well` a's fon-securely holding 1n place, in

proper IoperativeI relation, the writin .9.11 p oint 9, andthe auxliarymetallicfee plate iwiththqfpresentinrentionfandishowingthe 10j .Whishsis difeftlf. @S.S,0Ci.=.1ted.. thefewitl1 pen cap fitted over theipen for cutting ofi' 56 the writing pen Io properly perform this holdingor fastening function, the tubular holding plug 7 is channeled on one side of its perlphery to form a longitudinally arranged plate seat 11a which conforms in curvature to the heel of the pen point 9 and the plate 10,4 and snugly receivesv therein such elements as plainly shown in Figs. .1, 2 and 4 of the drawings. lVhen the parts are fitted in place, the pen point 9 and the feed plate 10 are arranged in parallel superposed and contacting relation, with their inner end por.- tions snugly and tightly held between the lexterior surface of the holding lplug 7 and the inner wall of the pen bearing section 3 ;v

or inother words, the said pen point 9 and the feed plate 10 may be said to be clampingly held together and against vthe inner wall of the pen bearing section by the plug 7, which in turn, by this same clamping ac- .y tion-,lis securely held in .its operative position. l

The writin pen point v9 vis'ioffthe usual u form and pre erably is a gold'p'en point, such as ordinarily employed in the'best types of `fountain pens, while the. auxiliary metallic feed plate 10 is really. in-efect-a secondary smaller pen point, having ,only a feeding action, but being approximately-in the form of the main pen point. Referring more particularly to this auiliary metallic feed plate 10, it is t0 be noted thatthe same preferably consists of, a thin non-corrosive strip of metal, as of-gold-,yand shorterv in length and narrower in widthv than the writing pen point 9.

lso,.it`is preferable that the said auxiliary feed plate 10 be made concave-convex 1n cross section, like-the writingpen point, but struck on the arc of a smaller circle so that the side edge portions 11 of the said feed plate 10 do not directly contact with the under tside of the pen point, but leave intervening inkY flowing fissures 12, as may be plainly seen fromFig. 3 of the drawings. Furthermore, the under auxiliary feed plate 10 is preferably formed with a. rounded or pointed outer extremity' 13 to assist in properly flowing ink to the nibs of the writing pen point. v

The auxiliary metallic feed plate 10 aboveV referred'to constitutes a part of the ink feeding-means lor device, which latter also includes, as a necessary element thereof, a

longitudinallyv movable plunger feeding' stem 14. This' plunger feeding'stern-14 is preferably of the form. shown 1ny Fig.- 6 of 17 and plereed centrallyrby' an airvent hole f 18 in communication with the longitudinal the draw-ings, 4viz:A consisting essentially of a't-ubular- .body portion 1,5. formed at .one end with an enlarged cylindrical feedhea'd 16 havin inits outer side a cncaved seat opening through the body portion 15. f At the side opposite its vconcave seat 17 the feed head 16 presents a capillary wall `19 opposing the corresponding Wall or end 2() formed at the outer end of the interior holding plug 7-so that when the two walls 19, and 20 are separated, as shown in Fig.2, there is provided between them ansink fiowing fissure' 21 which is in communication withlthe under side of the feed plate 1'0, as well as with the circulating opening 8 through the plug 7 and with the passage or opening through the stem 14. i

The tubular body portion 15 ofthe feedv ing stem 14 is provided at its inner end with what may be termed a longitudinally slit holder sleeve 22 on the exterior of which is fitted a stop collar 23 andy which receives therein the wide inner end vportion of the vlongitudinally tapering or wedge shaped supplemental or regulating feed bar 24- which extends through the longitudinal bore' of the feeding stem 14,l and the small end or outer tip of which bar, 24 lies. within the air vent hole 18, but at one side of thecenter of such hole. In this connection, it is important to note that the outer end or tip of the feed bar 24 projects substantially through the air vent hole 18, but lying to -one 'side of the center of the same, as shown.

in Fig. 3, .serves to draw or drop thel ink within the reservoir downto the mouth of the orifice or Vent 18, thus maintaining at that point the actual ink. supply to be drawn-thence to the pen. It is at this point.

that the outward pulsations of ink and the inward passage of air occur, and it is very desirable to have this pulsating feature of the ink flow occur as far-'down toward the pointof the pen as may be, as such arrangement better provides or insures -a regular dicated, and to vdrop the ink remaining about the pen and feeder, and within the open end of the pen bearin section, back within the reservoir as quic ly as possible when through writing, so that the cap may be secured in place without leaving some ink outsidev of the reservoir and within 4the cap to be shaken od to soil the interior of the cap and the outside of `the nozzle as they pen is carried about. The stop collar 23 winged ,projections 25, or the like, for en- 26 within the holder, andsaid col ar maybe feeding stern.- Afterthis collar 23 is posi- ,tioned, then the wedged shaped supplemenmay be formed with gagement against an interior sto shoulder `adjusted to any proper or desirable position 1.25

.-up'on the longitudinally slit sleeve 22 ofthe talA feed bar 24 is inserted with the result that the wide inner end of said supplemental y voir holder.

ink may gravitatey more readily 'downwarrl within the holder when through writing, and also that-during the writing operation there may be as little attraction as possible within the pen bearing section above the air vent for ink to cling. A sufficient longitudinal movement is permitted the feeding stem 14 so that the feed head'lf) may close against the end 20 of the holding plug 7, and also open away therefrom to provide the ink flowing fissure 21. It will also be -observtul that the feed head 19 loosely and sliding-ly engages within and against the metallic feed plate 10, but this contact is sufficiently loose to adm/it of the capillary iow of ink about the head 1G and between the latter and the feed plate 10.

The cutting oft' of the ink iiow and the sealing of the ink within the reservoir is accomplished by a cut-off projection carried by the pen cap 28, which cap is screwed or otherwise suitably engaged with the reser- In the present invention, this cut-oft projection preferably consists of a supporting stem 29 carried within and by the `cap 28 and having fitted to its free end a rounded or other suitably shapedi cut-ott' button 30 which is drawn by the cap into and againstthe seat 17 of the feed head 16, and over the air vent 18. The closed position of parts is shown'in Fig. 1 ofthe drawings.

A feature of special importance in the present invention 1s the metallic feed plate l0 and its cooperation with the head 16 of the feeding stem. The said feed plate constructed as shown, delivers the ink to the point of the pen more reliably because of its shape, and also because ofits comparative thinness and lightness, while at the same time there is suficient retentive attractive or cohesive force in said plate to retain the ink above the plate upon the nibs for facile Writing, and generally speaking, the combination described in connection with the said feed plate provides for maintaining abetter balance or equilibrium ofthe ink supply lupon the nibs than has heretofore been possible with similar structures. A further function of the supplemental feed-bar, and not the least important, is that when the user of the pen is throu h writing and thepen is reversed to lace t e cap over the point, the

'supplementa feed-bar, arranged as shown,

readily attracts u nused ink from about the pen and from the orifice, leading the same down within the nozzle, whence it is quickly drawn within the body or case or reservoir by the lead or attraction it provides in combination with the rear end of the plunger feeder and thel button at rear end of plunger feeder. It is highly necessary to drop the ink, remaining about the pen and feeder and within the open end of the nozzle, back within the reservoir as `quickly as possible when through writing,'so that the cap may be screwed to place Vwithout sealing some ink outside of the reservoir and within the cap to be shaken otl' to soil the interior' of the -cap and outside of nozzle as pen' is carried about. The utility of the best attractive meansfor this purpose cannot be overrated. Before the cap reaches home in sealing or screwing to place, the ink remaining about the pen, as stated, should be drawn within the case as quickly as possible. is accomplished by means of the specific construction of lparts as shown, particularly the construction wherein the outer point of supplemental feed-bar lies at one side, and within a proper sized air-vent, its point being about even with the. outer edge or rim of the vent.

It has already been pointed out that the stop collar 23 is so located and tixed as' to vprovide for the desired extent of ink flowing tissure 21, but it may be further observed that the said collar materially aids as an attractive means to draw or drop the ink within nozzle and about the pen down within the reservoir quickly when through writing, and while the cap is being screwed to place to seal. The edges of said collar, constructed as shown, contact, 'or nearly contact, with the interior walls of the case proper. These edges being against, or nearly against, the interior wall of the reservoir or case serve to` lead or attract ink remaining within the nozzle downward quickly when through writing. Otherwise, such ink would remain suspended or held within and about interior of nozzle, particularly as the offset formedl byrear end of nozzle within the case acts as a great hindrance to quick backward flow or return of ink to reservoir. f

iVith reference to the cut-off projectiomit may be observed `that the same is of such constructionand arrangement as to attracta minimum amount of ink upon it and remain cleanerwithin the cap than similar projections heretofore employed.

In the operation of the pen it lwill be understood that as ink is withdrawn in writ-A ing, a globule of air 1s formed immediately within the mouth of the air-vent in the head. When such globule is rounded or formed it breaks ,away from the orifice or circular walls of the mouth of the air-vent and ascends up through and above the ink in reservoir, and a corresponding quantity of ink being released from atmospheric pressure pulsates d own uponthe pen to be written awiay. It will be noticed;y therefore, that nicety of adjustment and construction as to feeding surfaces, or capillary attractive surfaces in conjunction with an air-vent of propel' size, shape, and location must be provided to insure the best. results, and the present invention takes these conditions into consideration along the most practical and effective lilies.

Other advantagesfor the .in'iproved construction described herein will be readily app'arentto those skilled in the art` without further description.

Iclaim:

1. In a fountain pen, a pen bearing` section carrying a pen point, and an ink feeding device. comprising an auxiliary metal-lic feed plate underlying the pen point and arranged with its edge portions, separated from the latter, and means for flowing' ink to said plate.

In a fountain pen, a pen bearing section carrying a pen point, and an ink feeding device ,comprising an auxiliary concaveconvex metallic feed plate underlying the pen point and having its edge portions separated therefrom to leave intervening ink flowing fissures, and means'for flowing ink to said plate.

3. In a fountain pen, a pen bearing section carrying a pen point, and an ink feeding device comjirising a concavo-convex met-allie feed plate underlying the pen poi-nt and shorter 1n length and narrower 1n width than the same, said feed plate being also struck on the arc of a smaller circle than the pen point, and means for flowing ink to said plate.

4. In a fountain pen, a pen bearing section carrying a pen point, a metallic feed plate underlying the pen point, and a feeder extending through the pen bearing section (and having a cylindrical feed head provided with an air vent and arranged tov form an ink flowing fissure communicating with the feed plate.

5. In a fountain pen, a pen bearing section carrying a pen point,an auxiliary metallic feed plate underlying the pen point and having its edge `portions separated from the latter, a longitudinally movable plunger feeding .st-em having a feed head slidably related to the feed plate and arranged to normally pro-vide an ink flowing fissure communicating with said plate, and the pen cap carrying a cut-offl projection adapted to contact with the feed head and move the same to .a cut-off position.' Y

6. In a fountain pen, a pen bearing section carrying a pen point, an auxiliary metallic feed plate underlying the pen point and having its edge portions separated from the latter, a longitudinally movable tubular plunger feeder stem having a terminal feed head provided with an air vent and slidably related to the feed plate, said feed head in its feeding position being spaced from an adjacent wall to forman nik flor-."- ing fissure communicating with the feed plate. and a cap carrying a cut-off projection engaging with said feed head over the air vent therein.

7. In a fountain pen, a pen bearing section carrying a pen point, an auxiliary metallic feed plate underlying the pen point and having its edge portions separated from 'the latter, a longitudinally movable plunger feeding stem extending through the pen bearing section and carrying a vented feed head coperating with the feed plate -to flow ink thereto, and the pen cap carrying a. support-ing stem provided at its free end witha cut-oftl button engaging against the .feed head over the vent therein.

8. In a fountain pen, a pen bearing section carrylng a pen point, and an ink feeding device having a tubular feeding stem extending through the pen bearing section and provided at its outer end with a. terminal feed head having an air vent hole therein, and a supplemental regulating feed bar extending longitudinally through the feeding stem and having its outer terminal or tip disposed within the air vent hole. said feed bar ,lying at one side of the longitiulivnal center of the opening through the stem and said air vent hole.

9. In a fountain pen, av pen bearing seetion carrying a penA point, and a. longitudinally movable jflunger feeding stem comprising a tubular body portion .having at one end a feed head and at its other end a slit holder sleeve, a stop collar adjustably fitting upon said holder' sleeve, and a. wedge shaped feed bar wedging within said holder sleeve. A

In .testimony whereof I hereunto. affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

f PAUL E. WIRT.

VVitne'sses C. WV. FUNSTON, E. H. Taoxnm.. 

